Why Chipotle Won’t Franchise

Posted on September 10, 2014.

Almost every well-known restaurant chain is a franchise. McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Panera – you name it, it’s franchised.

Yet, there’s Chipotle.

With more than 1,600 restaurants and plenty of potential franchisees eager to get in on the high-value brand, why hasn’t the mega-popular burrito chain ever franchised? The short answer: It hasn’t needed to.

“We believe that companies franchise for two reasons,” says Chris Arnold, Chipotle’s communications director. “Either they need money to grow or they need operators to run restaurants.”